It's normally recommended to get yourself a scrap body panel to practice on before you go nuts with a machine, you can 'scorch' the clear coat if you don't wet the surface right or spend too long in one area etc.

I use Meguires stuff but applied manually; first clay bar with plenty of clay lube (quick detailer), then a Paint Cleaner applied and buffed off, then a Polish applied and buffed and finally a Carnuba Wax. I know for sure there are better, more exclusive, products available and in particular the final Wax coating but I find the Megs stuff very easy to use and with great results.

Now I've finally got my car back in the garage after 4-days of sorting and many runs to the Council Tip I might build up my collection of stuff a bit and experiment with new products. I've sorted myself a car detailing cupboard and bench space

dave406 has indeed a good wash method. The brushes for the 'nooks and crannies' are ideal for getting around the exterior tightwork - If you need some of these, let me know as I'm an authorised distributor for a very well know / respected manufacturer of these.

If you are looking at swirl removal, indeed as has been mentioned in this thread, it's 'possible' to remove an element by hand but takes a verrrry long time.

If you have access to a machine polisher, then certainly get a test panel first to hone the practice on before going 'straight to paint' as such.

ok, without a machine polisher :

In all ways, the best method to get the paint in good condition, is thorough decontamination via way of clay and or fallout/tar removers.

Single clay can be used, I'd recommend a 'soft clay' i.e something sold by Bilt Hamber - this is around the £10/12 mark delivered and will last you a couple of years ( you break the block into 4 pieces, using 1 piece at a time ) - Water can be used as lube for this clay but I prefer a very mild ration mix of car shampoo in a spray bottle - something like a 1:10 rate will be fine.

You'll find areas like the lower doors, arches and rear of car that picks up most contaminants as well as flat panels - roof/bonnet etc.

Usually to fully clay a car that has not been clayed before can take 2/3 hours depending on how bad it is. you will also find that by doing this you may notice more defects/marks in the paint - of course this is because your taken the paint back to it's 'bare' condition.

Once you have clayed this will leave the paintwork in a smooth condition.

At this stage you'll have a few options. - If you have not got the time to machine polish, then after you have rinsed and dried the car down, you can use a glaze/polish/filler to 'hide' the swirls - something like Autoglym Super Resin polish can be used for this.

Once you have done this, then add a few layers of decent wax to 'lock down' the work you have done. - Obviously as the paint has not been corrected, then after a while those swirls will start to re-appear - then you can repeat the process (without clay) - although I'd recommend claying at least once a year.

Machine polishing is not hard itself, what needs to be considered is the speeds/pads and compounds. These are the make or break of a good machine polish. Never start with an aggressive combination i.e heavy cutting pad and heavy cutting compound. - It's best to work a light combination and move up if necessary.

Machine Polishing removes swirls with the pad/compound as it generates the heat and cut necessary to remove the microns of damaged clearcoat. - This is why you have to be careful - too heavy a method, too ,much pressure or leaving the pad at a high speed in a single area can cause paint damage commonly known as strikethrough. It's where the clearcoat has been removed leaving the paint layer visible - The repair for this is basically a pro respray.

If you want to learn how to use a machine polisher- there are a few good ways of learning - The 'Junkman' videos are a very good resource i.e heres a part one vid - ( he has a lot of other videos, that will help ) - An Ex Marine and a bit nutty but he explains things in good tutorials - Great guy

With regards to my waxes, then they can be bought at many resellers in the UK - However as part of this specific forum and to it's members I'm offering them at a reduced lower price.

For example - 'Fortify' which is a 100ml pot is a winter wax built for durability with very good resistance to road grimes and salts - retails at £24.95 + delivery. I could offer that at £20 delivered to 406oc members. - You can have a look at my different waxes available by checking out: http://www.propa-protection.com/wax.htm - Each wax has been fully researched, developed and tested and only feature the highest class ingredients available.

I'll certainly put a 406oc Members only price list together on here soon.